‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’: Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

The two bestselling authors who both started in TV discuss writing as a second career, natural justice – and what they really think of literary fictionIn the four years since Richard Osman published his first Thursday Murder Club novel he has consistently topped the bestseller lists, and now his quartet of retirement-age detectives will be portrayed on screen by a cast including Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan. Having grown up in Sussex, Osman started out in TV, where he created and co-hosted the gameshow Pointless. His forthcoming novel We Solve Murders – the start of a new series – features a writer billed as the world’s bestselling novelist, “if you don’t count Lee Child”. Child, the creator of former military police officer Jack Reacher, has enjoyed phenomenal popularity since he left his career – also in TV, where he worked on shows including Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown and Cracker – and started writing, with his first novel published in 1997. Raised in Birmingham, he moved to the US in 1998 and now lives between Manhattan and rural Wyoming. He wrote 24 Reacher novels before announcing in 2020 that he would be handing the series to his brother Andrew.Lee Child I feel that writing is always a second-phase career, or at least should be. It’s that rare thing that not only can you do it when you’re older, but you should do it when you’re older. Pick your cliche: your gas tank is full, your database is compiled. You are a person. You are ready to write.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-14 09:00:23 UTC ]
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Broadway becomes The Great Write Way

Roberta Pereira and Brisa Trinchero love working as Broadway producers and relaxing with a good book. But one night over drinks at Sardi's, the duo wondered why there weren't any good Broadway reads. A few cocktails later, they decided to start a Broadway-themed publishing firm, and Dress Circle... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is having a strong children's section a secret to success for indie bookstores?

An informal survey recently carried out by Publishers Weekly found that most stores where children's books had a strong presence are doing well financially. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lucky Editor Eva Chen Wants To Build A Magazine You Can Talk To

"I love Times Square." Those might not be the words you would expect to hear out of the mouth of a fashion magazine editor, but this kind of statement is typical of Eva Chen, the new editor–in–chief of Lucky Magazine. Since her arrival in June, now with two issues under her belt, she has been... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lee Child takes Official UK Top 50 top spot

Lee Child's new Jack Reacher thriller, Never Go Back (Bantam Press), was the bestselling... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lee Child to receive Diamond Dagger

The 2013 Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger will be awarded to Lee Child.  ... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Incoming News Corp. CEO Says The Daily Was 'A Great Success, Revenue Aside'

It burned through at least $40 million and never came close to turning a profit, but that doesn’t mean The Daily was a failure, according to Robert Thomson, the soon-to-be CEO of News Corp.’s publishing spin-off. “It wa ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Ford: Why writing is an act of optimism

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ford talks about his new novel "Canada," his memories of the late Raymond Carver, and how art makes life.    Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BoSacks: No B.S. : The Real Secret to Publishing Success

By Robert M. Sacks In any given year, I give about a dozen “talks” about the publishing industry. Sometimes it is to interested companies and sometimes it is to the industry at large during publishing conventions... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Select Fall 2011: E-Book Master Class: PW Talks with Joshua Tallent

If self-publishing is a major part of the future of the publishing business, then its most uncharted region, and the frontier of greatest possibility, is digital self-publishing, where authors can make their own names and sell infinite numbers of books with the help of a handful of increasingly... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloody Scotland to host crime writing festival

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 19/09/2011 - 08:20 Scotland is to hold its first Crime Writing Festival next year, supported by Stirling Council, Creative Scotland and the University of Stirling, and working closely with Stirling's general literary festival, Off the Page.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Child's play for Lee as he tops charts

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Wed, 10/08/2011 - 09:08 Lee Child's 15th Jack Reacher thriller, Worth Dying For (Bantam), was the bestselling book in the UK last week, scoring impressive sales of 32,275 copies in just three days upon its release on Thursday. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Class Defectors vs. Working Class Traitors: What JD Vance Could Learn From Édouard Louis and Annie Ernaux

This story was co-published by the journalism non-profit the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. “Poor people” are “my people” Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance has said. In his best-selling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, he claimed a similar possessiveness, while at the same time... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-18 11:31:11 UTC ]
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‘The crime writer crime writers read’: Garry Disher, author of 60 books and finding fame in his 70s

The Australian author is ‘incredibly influential’, but has had to survive decades of ‘cultural cringe’ and genre snobbery to make finally ‘a decent sort of living’Before parched and dusty towns across Australia became full of fictional sinister people; before the explosion of outback noir and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 23:00:18 UTC ]
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I Don’t Have To Choose Between Writing About Myself And Writing About The World

I was balancing a plate of honeydew in the green room of a book festival when I walked by a white man bemoaning the state of the publishing industry. The man wore a suit, and he spoke to a white woman; both of them looked to be in their 40s. As the man speared a […] The post I Don’t Have To... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-27 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Otto Penzler Announces New True Crime Imprint Crime Ink

The latest imprint under Penzler Publishers aims to publish four to six true crime books books in its first year beginning in winter 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Talk to the Animals: 9 Fun Manga with Talking Animals

Get cozy with critters and find out what the animals are really thinking with these 10 fun manga with talking animals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-14 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Kelly Link Can’t Write Narrative Before 3pm: And Other Tips For Purposeful Writing

In her latest short story collection, White Cat, Black Dog, MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow Kelly Link reinvents seven fairytales into modern, realist short stories about, for example, an aging billionaire choosing a successor, and a house-sitting gig that goes awry. Link is also the author of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-28 08:54:06 UTC ]
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Don’t write what you know, write what you feel: bestselling authors offer tips on World Book Day

Malorie Blackman advises budding authors to pick up on news stories, but Julia Donaldson warns of pitfalls – and Alan Moore says you should read terrible books as well as good onesThe key to being a good writer? It’s being a good reader, authors including Carol Ann Duffy and Alan Moore have said... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-02 15:43:52 UTC ]
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Jane Smiley on Her Writing Process, Beloved Pets, and Writing in Paris

If you love Jane Smiley, this episode is for you. Eve and Julie are joined by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author in an interview that was recorded live for Miami Book Fair 2021. They discuss Jane’s most recent book, Perestroika in Paris, as well as Jane’s writing process, beloved pets, and what... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-23 09:51:41 UTC ]
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“Write the tale that scares you . . . I dare you.” Michaela Coel has some writing advice for us.

On Sunday night, I May Destroy You showrunner Michaela Coel won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In the context of yet another melanin-deficient awards show that had people tweeting #EmmysSoWhite, it was refreshing (and simultaneously frustrating) that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-20 16:39:44 UTC ]
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